Playing cards



Aug. 31 1926.

c. E. ALBERT PLAYING CARDS Filed Dec. 9, 1925 WIT/V588 L f y a fi/Q/L W A TTORNEYS Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

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CLIFFORD E. ALBERT, OF CENQINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNGH TG THE UNITED STATES PLAYING CARD COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A. CURFORATION.

PLAYING CARDS.

Application filed. December My invention relates to playing cards and particularly to playing cards of the customary type, including conventional suit and value designations, and has for its object so to place the indexes that the numbers and values of the cards in a given hand may readily be perceived even though such hand is not arranged by suits in the customary manner.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a face view of a hand of cards, for instance in a game of bridge whist, fanned in the usual manner, and Fig. 2 is a face view of one of the cards of Fig. 1.

As clearly shown in Fig. 1, the indexes of the cards of two of the suits occupy the usual position or positions in the upper left hand corner, or upper left-hand and lower right-hand corner, of each card, while the indexes of the cards of the other two suits are placed close to the side margins of their respective cards but spaced from the top margins for a distance approximately equal to the lengthwise dimension of the indexes of the cards of the other two suits. In my preferred arrangement, the two suits which have their indexes placed in the corners are suits of contrasting colors, as are also the suits of the cards whose indexes are not placed in the corners of their respective cards. If cards provided with indexes in the manner hereinabove described are fanned, as shown in Fig. 1, or. otherwise arranged in marginal overlapping relation, the indexes of the cards of two of the suits will be aligned, and the indexes of the cards of the other two suits will also be aligned, but the indexes of the cards of the former will lie above the indexes of the latter, and therefore the cards of the former can clearly be distinguished from cards of the latter; by selecting for the former a black suit and a red suit and doing the same for the latter, the cards of the two suits whose indexes are in alignment can be more readily distinguished.

It is, of course, to be understood that all the cards of a suit have their indexes in the. same relative position.

In a preferred modification of my invention, I place below the indexes of the cards of two of the suits and above the indexes of the cards of the other two suits, and in each case at approximately the same distance from the top and side margin of each card, a spacing mark, preferably a line mark 9, 1925. SeriaLNo. 74,3Q3.

as shown in Figs. 1 and'2. These marks will, when the cards are placed inmarginal overlappingrelation, lie in'about the same line, and more particularly, when the cards of the hand are fanned as shown in Fig. 1, will lie in a line which constitutes the. a c of a circle. The series of spacing marks will form to the eye a division indication between the two sets of suits in the hand. l/Vhen the-spacing marks consist of short line marks, asshown in the drawings, these line marks will, when the cards of a hand are fanned or otherwise placed in marginal overlapping relation, form a substantially continuous dividing line between the indexes of the two sets of suits.

3y my invention, especially with the preferred arrangement of having the indexes for one of the red suits and one of the black suits placed in the corners and the indexes of the other suits placed away from the corners, the different cards of a hand may be so clearly distinguished that the arrangement of the cards of the hand by suits becomes unnecessary even for an inexperienced player thus avoiding the necessity of arranging the cards according to suits, thereby quickening the play and eliminating the chance of be traying information as to features of value of the hand. It is obvious that by my invention I eliminate as far as humanly possible the danger of mistaking a club for a spade or a heart for a diamond and vice which is a great help in evaluating a bridge hand prior to bidding.

I claim:

' 1. A deck of playing cards, the individual cards of two suits of which. are each provided, in at least one corner thereof, with an index, and the individual cards of other two suits of which are each provided with an index near at least one corresponding corner thereof, the indexes of the cards of-the latter two suits being placed adjacent to the side margins of their respective cards and spaced from the top margin of their respective cards a distance approximately equal to the lengthwise dimension of the indexes on the cards of the other two suits.

2. A deck of playing cards, the individual cards of two suits of which are each provided in at least one corner thereof withan index,

and a spacing mark immediately below the same, and the individual cards of othertwo suits of which are each provided with an index "near at least one corresponding corner thereof, and a spacing mark immediately above the same, the indexes of the cards of the latter two suits being placed adjacent to the side margins of their. respective cards a distance approximately equal to the lengthwise dimension of the indexes and associated spacing marks on the cards of the other two suits, the spacing marks onall of the cards being placed at substantiallythe samev distance from thetop margins of the cards so that when the cards are fanned the centres of such marks lie approximately in aline de fining the are of a circle. a

3- A d o Pl ying cards, th d v dua cards "of" two suits of which are each provided in at least one corner thereof; with an index and a line mark immediately below the same, and the individual cards of the other two suits ofwhich are provided with an nd near at eas o e eerr spending or thereof and with a line mark immediately above the same, the indexes of the cards of the latter two suits being placed adjacent to the side margins of their respective cards and spaced from the top margin of their respective cards a distance approximately equal to the lengthwise dimension of the indexes and their associated line markson the cards of the other two suits, the line marks on all the cards being placed at substantially the same distance from the top margins of the cards so as to form, when the cards are tanned,- a, subs a ally o t nuou lin whi h clearly separates the indexes ottwo ofthe suits from the indexes of the other two suits.

ou -F 111 ALBERT- 

